Sides of a Coin
by HawkofNavarre
Summary: There's a reason Kaiba hates Jounouchi so much, and it's not because he has deep, abiding feelings for him.


**Disclaimer:** I not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

**Note: **This story was inspired by **MyAibou**'s Revival Series. It is brilliant and all should read it! **This is NOT yaoi **and has not been edited due to laziness. Apologies for any errors.

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><p><strong><em>Sides of a Coin<em> **by HawkofNavarre

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><p>"What's your problem with him anyway?"<p>

That was the comment Kaiba had prompted from Anzu after provoking Jounouchi as he always did during lunch that day. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what had happened considering this was basically a daily routine. Jounouchi would say something stupid to his friends, the teenage billionaire would make some sort of jab underneath his breath while sitting at his desk and pretending like he was minding his own business, Jounouchi would hear it, and a verbal brawl would ensue. Of course, it had never gotten to the point where fists were involved, but that was only because Honda always managed to drag his blond friend into the hallway before it did. Today was no exception, but it looked like the only female in Yugi's little group was getting tired of the whole routine.

"Excuse me, Kaiba, I'm _talking_ to you," Anzu hissed, glaring at him as she slammed one hand on his desk to get his attention.

"Well, isn't that nice," the young CEO muttered sarcastically, not caring enough to look up from the book he wasn't actually reading.

His eyes weren't on her, but that didn't mean he couldn't see her bite her lip in frustration. Yugi appeared to be slightly nervous, tugging on her arm gently to try and diffuse the situation. Obviously it didn't help because the brunette tore the book from Kaiba's hands, determined to get an answer.

He glanced at her, his usual vacant expression never leaving his face. Hm, and he'd been convinced that she was the least annoying out that stupid group.

"Tell me, why are you always such an ass to Jounouchi?" Anzu demanded, fire in her eyes.

Years of business experience had conditioned him to keep a straight face under almost any circumstance, so the fact that he wasn't sure what to say to his classmate was unknown to everybody, save for Seto himself. Yes, he was a genius in many things, but the social aspect of his life had always been somewhat…limited. He hadn't expected anyone to call him on his attitude, especially after getting away with it for so long.

Anzu, though, he probably should've suspected would. She was a girl with a strong personality, never letting anybody mess with her friends. In fact, Kaiba actually respected her quite a bit, but he would die before ever admitting such a thing out loud.

Jounouchi, on the other hand, was a loudmouth idiot who most likely had the IQ of a five-year-old child. He was a buffoon, constantly making a fool of himself—it had to be criminal to be that much of a moron! On top of that, he was a pathetic duelist that couldn't even hold his own. No, Jounouchi had to hide behind his best friend all the time, the one that _could_ actually duel. How that monkey had ever been chosen to carry the Claw of Hermos was beyond Kaiba. Jounouchi didn't deserve his respect.

At least, that was what he'd always rationalized. He didn't allow himself to think of the real reason he hated Jounouchi Katsuya so much, because the truth was, Kaiba was jealous.

Kaiba would very, _very_ grudgingly admit in his head that the mutt was a decent duelist. Jounouchi had placed high enough in every tournament that it was hard to pass off his skills as sheer dumb luck. For someone who had played so pitiably during Duelist Kingdom, he had certainly developed a talent for the game of Duel Monsters in such a short time. Of _course_ he was nowhere near as good as the great Kaiba Seto though. He never would be, but Jounouchi's status as a top duelist was a feat in itself. While this irked the wealthy teenager, it wasn't enough to constitute hate.

They both had younger siblings that they would do anything for. It was during Battle City that Kaiba first encountered Kawai Shizuka. That day, he'd learned exactly how that third-rate duelist had gotten so far in Duelist Kingdom. Jounouchi had needed that prize money to save his sister's eyes and had done everything he could, apart from cheating, to earn it. Knowing that Jounouchi actually had _some_ admirable qualities wasn't what Kaiba hated though. That wasn't it at all, no.

He remembered the first day he'd come to school. Besides the whole "Yugi's grandpa must have the last Blue Eyes!" incident, he _had_ taken note of his other classmates. It was in his nature to be observant and Jounouchi's hideous attire that day hadn't gone unnoticed. The blond's shirt was stained—it looked like _old_ stains—and his shoes were practically falling apart. At that time, he had thought that Jounouchi was simply a slob who couldn't be bothered to dress appropriately, but the things Seto noticed didn't stop there. Jounouchi would often come to class looking ready to fall over, so tired that he hardly stayed awake during lessons. When the KaibaCorp owner was close enough, he'd found the guy's uniform absolutely _reeked_ of alcohol.

And sometimes, _sometimes_, there were bruises. Or cuts. The other students assumed he was in a gang, but the Geek Squad seemed to know differently. Anzu would patch him up, Honda would throw him this knowing glance, and Yugi would simply look worried.

That was when Kaiba knew Jounouchi's childhood hadn't been such a cakewalk either.

It'd been easy to piece together after that. Kawai Shizuka and Jounouchi Katsuya. Their parents were divorced and the son of the broken family had been left to live with the father (it couldn't be the other way around, the way Jounouchi was built. A drunken woman couldn't possibly overpower him). His clothes were filthy or deteriorating because he didn't have any money to buy new ones. He always smelled like booze because his dad was an alcoholic. He came to school so exhausted that he was about to collapse because he was always working.

There were worse fathers in the world than Kaiba Gozaburo, and yet Jounouchi Katsuya was the polar opposite of Seto. The blond worked hard to support himself, presumably worked hard to support whatever was left of a deadbeat father, and protected his younger sister in every way he could. He didn't complain about how tired he was even when he could barely stay awake, nor did he say a thing when his injuries looked particularly ugly. His life was hard. His life a damn mess, but…

He could still smile, and Kaiba hated him for it.

It reminded the billionaire of all the things he'd lost in the process of making a better life for himself and his little brother. The business world was a harsh place, and Seto had been forced to shed his emotions in order to get to the top. He'd done it though. With that sacrifice, he'd done it, and he'd do it all again just for Mokuba.

Still, he couldn't even remember what it was like to be a kid. He couldn't forget that he was a powerful figure with a delicate reputation and just _fool around_—even when he was only with his little brother. That part of him was dead, even while he longed for it to return. He wanted to remember what it was like to throw away inhibitions and have fun. Duel Monsters was fun, maybe, but not in the same way. The pleasure he got from crushing his opponents wasn't the same as when he used to laugh when he'd joked around with Mokuba, and it would never _be_ the same.

Kaiba hadn't been able to keep that part of himself, but Jounouchi had, and _that_ was why he hated him. They were so similar and yet so different at the same time. Jounouchi was that constant reminder that Seto had failed to hold on to his smile. At least, he told himself each time he was reminded of this, Mokuba would be able to keep his.

Finally, Kaiba lifted his head to send Anzu a cold stare. He slid back in his chair before standing up, telling her, "You wouldn't understand."

He didn't bother to retrieve his book as he left the room (he had another one at home anyway) and the brunette didn't push it. Seto walked down the hallways, deciding to use the restroom before class started again, though he briefly reconsidered when he saw Honda and Jounouchi standing together ahead of him. His mood was on a swift decline after Anzu's confrontation and he didn't really feel like getting into any fights right now. However, his ego wouldn't allow him to turn back, so he continued forward.

The young CEO was lucky enough to walk past them without being stopped though. It appeared that Honda had calmed his friend enough to get him to ignore Kaiba's presence in the corridor, but Kaiba didn't ignore them as he passed. No, he saw them having some stupid conversation about something. It didn't even matter what they were saying. He'd seen them—seen _him_—laughing, having fun.

Smiling.


End file.
